Skylar Richardson’s attorneys request change of venue

LEBANON, Ohio (FOX19) - One of the attorneys for a 20-year-old woman accused of killing and burying her baby in the backyard of her family’s suburban Dayton home said they filed a motion requesting a change of venue.

Skylar Richardson’s attorneys claim there has been a high level of pretrial publicity that would interfere with her having a fair trial.

The motion was filed in Warren County Common Pleas Court late Friday, Charles Rittgers Sr. confirmed Sunday.

This comes as a pretrial hearing could be held the case Monday and just weeks before Skylar Richardson’s trial is scheduled to start Sept. 3.

Prosecutors have not responded to the change of venue request yet. We will update this story as soon as they do.

Richardson is charged with aggravated murder, involuntary manslaughter, gross abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and child endangerment in the May 2017 death of her newborn.

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If convicted, she faces life in prison.

Earlier this month, Richardson’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the indictment.

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They noted a forensic anthropologist recanted a statement she made about the baby’s bones, which she examined on July 20, 2017, being charred.

They also asked for three separate trials, but the judge said no.